Artist profile - Tracy Savage, Hornsea

This month we showcase the work of East Yorkshire artist Tracy Savage

Tracy Savage moved from Warwickshire to East Yorkshire more than 25 years ago and it has been the coastline and rural landscape of her adopted county that has inspired her for the past 13 years.

‘Observation is the key to my work and an active imagination,’ says Tracy. ‘When I’m out and about I rarely sketch but make mental notes. Rust stained walls, the patina of derelict buildings, forgotten places are themes I like to explore and develop into story-like images.’

Coastal villages, harbours, beaches and landscape along the east coast of Yorkshire provide Tracy with a wealth of material for her work. ‘I rarely put people in my work as I like the onlooker to put themselves in the place I’ve created,’ says Tracy. ‘When asked why I paint the subjects I do my answer is simple. I paint the places I would love to discover. That’s the beauty of being an artist you can invent and create such places by taking elements of what is around you.

‘Painting in acrylic suits the way I work as it is so versatile. It enables me to work areas of the canvas quite quickly, changing and developing my ideas as I paint. I don’t sketch out the canvas before hand as I like the paintings to evolve. This keeps the dynamics fresh and allows for spontaneity and experimentation.’

Tracy has written and illustrated her first children’s book The Moonblooms which was published last year and a second book is on its way. She has two galleries one in Scarborough and the other in Hornsea, the town she now calls home.

Find out more about Tracy’s work at www.tracysavage.co.uk